Convection induced by cooling at one side wall in two-dimensional non-rotating fluid —applicability to the deep Pacific circulation—

In recognition that similarity in the density balance leads to resemblance in circulation between the two-dimensional non-rotating and three-dimensional rotating systems which have similar density stratification, we investigate convection induced by cooling at one side wall and heating at the sea surface by using a two-dimensional non-rotating model as idealized representation for the deep Pacific circulation. In the model, various vertical profiles are taken for the side wall cooling, which are assumed to correspond to the density structure of the Anatarctic Circumpolar Current. In a small diffusivity range, two important features are found to be robust against change in the vertical profile of the side wall cooling. One is that the density stratification is horizontally almost uniform. The other is that the balance in the density equation between the vertical advection and the vertical diffusion holds in the interior. Consequently, the vertical density balance, together with the equation of continuity, determines the circulation pattern for the prescribed vertical profile of the side wall cooling. The multi-layered meridional flow, which is expected to exist in the deep Pacific, is shown to form for certain vertical profiles of the side wall cooling.     

Controlled experiment in the ionosphere with a rocket-borne plasma gun

A controlled active experiment was performed by a plasma gun on-board a rocket to study the plasma stream across the magnetic field in space. A mother and daughter system was employed. An 8 kV 0.8 μF (25 J) capacitor bank on the daughter rocket was discharged every 12 s and about 10¹⁶ ion and electron pairs were ejected. A plasma signal was detected on the electron temperature probe. The propagation speed of the plasma stream is estimated to be 10⁶ cm/s, considerably lower than that obtained in the prelaunch test. The amplitude of the plasma signal decays as the inverse square of the mutual distance between the mother and daughter rockets and this decay is much slower than the free streaming. The importance of the geomagnetic field on the plasma propagation in space is discussed.     

Internal deformation of Sikhote Alin volcanic belt, far eastern Russia: Paleocene paleomagnetic results

We present paleomagnetic results of Paleocene welded tuffs of the 53–50 Ma Bogopol Group from the northern region (46°N, 137°E) of the Sikhote Alin volcanic belt. Characteristic paleomagnetic directions with high unblocking temperature components above 560 °C were isolated from all the sites. A tilt-corrected mean paleomagnetic direction from the northern region is D=345.8°, I=49.9°, α₉₅=14.6° (N=9). The reliability of the magnetization is ascertained through the presence of normal and reversed polarities. The mean paleomagnetic direction from the northern region of the Sikhote Alin volcanic belt reflects a counterclockwise rotation of 29° from the Paleocene mean paleomagnetic direction expected from its southern region. The counterclockwise rotation of 25° is suggested from the paleomagnetic data of the Kisin Group that underlies the Bogopol Group. These results establish that internal tectonic deformation occurred within the Sikhote Alin volcanic belt over the past 50 Ma. The northern region from 44.6° to 46.0°N in the Sikhote Alin volcanic belt was subjected to counterclockwise rotational motion through 29±17° with respect to the southern region. The tectonic rotation of the northern region is ascribable to relative motion between the Zhuravlevka terrane and the Olginsk–Taukhinsk terranes that compose the basements of the Sikhote Alin volcanic belt.     

Quantitative reconstruction of the lake water paleotemperature of Daihai Lake, Inner Mongolia, China and its significance in paleoclimate

By measuring Sr/Ca ratios of the ostracod shells (Limnocthere cf. inopinata) in sediments of the Daihai Lake, and combined with Sr²⁺/Ca²⁺ ratios of the lake water, this paper obtained paleosalinity of the lake water. Vaporizing experiment of the lake water in laboratory showed that there was a quantitative relationship between salinity and oxygen isotope. Using this relationship, oxygen isotope values of the paleo-lake water were calculated. By measuring the oxygen isotope of the authigenic carbonate in the lake’s sediments, and in combination with the oxygen isotope values of the paleo-lake water, the paleotemperature of the lake water was calculated. Finally, based on these proxies, the paleoclimate in the lake basin was explored.     

Microcrack networks in granite affected by a fault zone: Visualization by confocal laser scanning microscopy

Microcracks in the Cretaceous Ryoke-type granite in Japan were investigated by using deep drilling core samples collected in the Mizunami Underground Research Project of the Japan Nuclear Cycle Development Institute (JNC). The granite body suffered brittle deformation associated with Tertiary thrust movement. Based on core-scale and microscopic deformation features, the drill core from a depth of 300 to 700 m is divided into four domains, i.e. (A) undeformed granite, (B) granite intruded by cataclastic seams, (C) fractured granite in the fault damage zone, and (D) foliated cataclasite at the fault center. To characterize microcrack geometries in each domain, we employed the impregnation method using a low-viscous acrylic resin doped with fluorescent agents and captured the microcrack images by confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM). The CLSM image in the fault damage zone revealed anisotropic development of microcrack networks related to the fault movement. Both CLSM observation and porosity measurements reveal a drastic increase of micro-pores in the foliated cataclasite, possibly caused by fragmentation, and granulation and crack sealing in the fault zone.     

Nitrogen isotopic discrimination by water column nitrification in a shallow coastal environment

Temporal changes in nitrogen isotopic composition (δ¹⁵N) of the NO₃ ⁻ pool in the water column below the pycnocline in Ise Bay, Japan were investigated to evaluate the effect of nitrification on the change in the δ¹⁵N in the water column. The δ¹⁵N of NO₃ ⁻ in the lower layers varied from −8.5‰ in May to +8.4‰ in July in response to the development of seasonal hypoxia and conversion from NH₄ ⁺ to NO₃ ⁻. The significantly ¹⁵N-depleted NO₃ ⁻ in May most likely arose from nitrification in the water column. The calculated apparent isotopic discrimination for water column nitrification (ɛ_nit = δ¹⁵N_substrate − δ¹⁵N_product) was 24.5‰, which lies within the range of previous laboratory-based estimates. Though prominent deficits of NO₃ ⁻ from hypoxic bottom waters due to denitrification were revealed in July, the isotopic discrimination of denitrification in the sediments was low (ɛ_denit = ∼1‰). δ¹⁵N_NO3 in the hypoxic lower layer mainly reflects the isotopic effect of water column nitrification, given that water column nitrification is not directly linked with sedimentary denitrification and the effect of sedimentary denitrification on the change in δ¹⁵N_NO3 is relatively small.     

Impact of Alaskan Stream eddies on chlorophyll distribution in the North Pacific

The impact of the Alaskan Stream (AS) eddies on the chlorophyll a (chl-a) distribution in the central subarctic North Pacific was investigated through analysis of chl-a and altimetry data from satellite observations. Altimetry observations provided the locations of mesoscale eddies in time and space within the maps of chlorophyll distributions. The climatological chl-a distributions averaged in the area and time showing presence of AS eddies suggested that AS eddies contributed significantly to the chl-a distribution in the deep-sea region of the subarctic North Pacific. The chl-a distribution was closely related to the AS eddies regardless of whether the eddy was located in or detached from the AS. A combination of two or three AS eddies sometimes formed high chl-a concentration belts that injected chlorophyll and coastal nutrient-rich waters southward from the Aleutian Islands far into the deep-sea region of the subarctic North Pacific. These results indicate that chl-a distribution in the central subarctic North Pacific was strongly impacted by AS eddies.     

Persistent organochlorine residues in sediments from the Chukchi Sea, Bering Sea and Gulf of Alaska

Three surface sediments and two sediment cores were collected from the Gulf of Alaska, Bering Sea and Chukchi Sea, and analysed for persistent organochlorines (OCs). The geographical distributions of OCs showed different patterns according to their physicochemical properties. The concentrations of HCHs and HCB revealed rather uniform distribution, suggesting their more transportable nature in long-range atmospheric transport. On the other hand, DDTs and PCBs were predicted to be less transportable via the atmosphere due to the decreasing trends of residue levels in sediments from south to north. The OC profiles in the sediment core from the Gulf of Alaska which seemed to be preserved without turbation revealed the elevated residue levels from bottom to surface layers. This implies that the aerial inputs of OCs in the cold ocean are still continuing significantly. The accumulation rates of OCs into sediments were rather smaller than the atmospheric inputs, indicating that the residue levels in water bodies are unlikely to decrease rapidly in the near future.